concussion

Work-related accidents can have unpredictable consequences, and injuries will vary from one individual to another. One of the most surprising outcomes for victims who have suffered head injuries is losing their sense of smell or their sense of taste or even both.

How Can a Concussion Make You Lose Your Smell or Taste?

Cerebral concussions are types of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that affect your brain cells and appear like diffused, extended damage in the functionality of your brain, as opposed to a contusion.

Concussions can cause post-traumatic anosmia (loss of sense of smell after a head injury) or ageusia (loss of sense of taste) by affecting your neurotransmitters. Even mild or moderate concussions can lead to a loss of senses, amongst other symptoms, so make sure to report it to the doctor and not just wait for it to pass on its own.

How Can the Loss of Smell or Taste Affect Your Life

To someone who still has all their senses working fine, this problem might seem trivial, but this condition can really affect the rest of your life, in more ways than one could imagine.

The disadvantages of not having a sense of smell or taste, or having them reduced to a fraction of their capacity, include:

Not being able to identify a fire

Inability to detect if the food has gone bad

Loss of enjoyment from food, which can lead to eating problems, lost weight and other complications

Reduced quality of life and, in some cases, mental injuries like depression or anxiety

Adding exaggerated amounts of sugar or salt, trying to feel the taste or aromas better, which can lead to a large number of other health issues

Affected personal hygiene

There are many ways in which such a loss can make your life worse, and it’s usually added on top of the pain and other symptoms associated with the concussion you have suffered. Losing your senses is definitely something you should include in your medical report and mention it to your St. Louis work injury attorney as well. Unlike a temporary loss of taste or smell caused by a viral infection, for example, a concussion-related one will not likely just go away on its own.

Will Workers’ Compensation Cover the Loss of Smell or Taste?

Yes, if you prove that the loss of your senses was caused by a concussion suffered when performing your work duties, during your work schedule, this condition will be compensated by your settlement.

It’s important to note that some states will not include this type of health complications on the list of compensated injuries and injury complications, so it’s best to consult an experienced St. Louis workers’ compensation attorney to find out if you should pursue this claim. They can also help you in preparing the documentation and discussing your claim with the insurance adjusters.

A head injury is one of the most serious types of workplace injuries.

Most work-related head injuries result from slip and fall accidents, falling objects, motor vehicle accidents, and defective and dangerous equipment. A worker who has suffered a brain concussion may experience no symptoms at all, or in worse cases, may become unconscious. Other symptoms include loss of equilibrium, abnormal behavior, nausea, confusion, and blurred vision.

Common Causes of Work-Related Head Injuries

The brain is covered by the skull which acts as a protective shell. Inside the skull there is cerebrospinal fluid that acts as a cushion between the skull bone and brain. A concussion occurs when a head trauma causes the brain to push through the layer of cerebrospinal fluid and hit the skull. Workers who are at a higher risk of head injuries are:

fire fighters

construction workers

delivery personnel

race car drivers

loading dock workers

professional athletes

Head Injuries and Workers’ Compensation

The first thing a worker must do after suffering a brain injury is to get medical attention and then report the injury to the employer or supervisor. Seeking medical attention is important even if there are no visible signs of injury, because the symptoms of a concussion may not appear right away and any delay may cause a serious threat to life. It also acts as proof that the injury is work-related.

Diagnosing a Concussion

File a report of injury with your employer as soon as possible after the injury. Any delays in reporting may jeopardize your workers’ compensation claim. When you report your head injury to the doctor, diagnostic tests may be ordered to evaluate the extent and type of injury. Some common tests used to diagnose concussions are:

CT scan: An imaging technique used to identify hemorrhages, skull fractures, and hematomas.

MRI scan: An imaging technique used to assess brain function.

If both tests show no evidence of a serious, life-threatening brain injury, a brain concussion may be diagnosed. In order to treat a concussion, several days of rest may be recommended so that the brain can return to its normal function on its own. After a few days, doctors may perform another round of tests to evaluate how well you have recovered from the injury, and once the doctor feels that you have achieved maximum medical improvement, you will be allowed to return to work.

A concussion refers to a head injury that could possibly lead to loss of consciousness.

The symptoms usually associated with concussions can be quite disturbing. Also, it is no less problematic to get effective medical treatment than to deal with post-concussive symptoms. To highlight the danger inherent in concussions, a person suffering from this condition may not even be able to recall passing out, if he or she actually did.

Understanding the Symptoms of Concussion

Concussion can prove to be a rather frustrating medical condition. The fact that an external head injury or sore has healed does not mean that all is well inside the head. A patient may continue to experience symptoms, even when diagnostic tests such as a CT scan of the brain fails to reveal any injury. Post-concussive symptoms that a patient may experience could include difficulty in waking every morning, migraine-like headaches, and feeling sleepy during the day. In addition, dizziness, fatigue, blurred vision and possibly depression can be signs of this condition.

Some medical experts specializing in treatment of concussions are often restricted to the prescription of drugs to help deal with pain and headaches that may be associated with the medical condition. They often cannot tell when the symptoms being experienced by a patient will subside. Competent neurologists can help make a proper diagnosis of symptoms and their seriousness. They can also help determine if these symptoms are a result of a work-related injury. It may also be ascertained if there is an existence of a neck injury. A skilled neurologist will also be able to tell you what can be done to prevent permanent injury to your brain.

Rating Post-Concussion Symptoms

Mere complaints about pain will not make post-concussive symptoms ratable, if not proven by required diagnostic tests. Judging by the AMA Guides for Evaluation of Impairment, it not easy to rate these symptoms for permanent injury. An adjuster will usually need medical reports indicating a problematic condition before arranging for an evaluation. Testing by a neuropsychologist may be helpful in revealing a ratable physical brain injury, if tests by a neurologist do not reveal their existence. The doctor that will rate the symptoms will usually look for memory loss impairment and irregularity in the consciousness level of patient in relation to how this could impact their everyday activities.

Getting Legal Help

If you have suffered from a head injury at your workplace, it would be wise to get in touch with an attorney for guidance and assistance. Post-concussive syndrome (PCS) is usually diagnosed after the treatment of any outward injury. As a result of this, PCS is often hard to detect or ascertain.

As lawyers working for your insurer likely want to disprove that your head injury is covered by workers’ compensation, you want a good lawyer to prove them wrong and help get your rightful compensation.

If you experienced a head injury on the job in Missouri, contact the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann to discuss your case for free. Call us today at (314) 361-4300.